Reviewed by Andy Long

The long awaited second Earache album finally surfaces. Dub Way have spent the last year touring the planet extensively, honing their art, polishing their hooks and soaking up the flavours and atmospheres of the world. Can a band who successfully blend punk, metal, reggae, dub and ragga really take even more influences into their sound without losing it? It would seem so, anyone who bought the recent single, "Cry Dignity", will have noticed a much mellower feel compared to the material on 'Pain'. This easier atmosphere runs through several of the tracks on the album, both "Bassball Bat" and "One Chill" carry a subtle hint of jazz whilst "Silencer" is built on an acoustic guitar foundation. And yet these less aggressive tracks have an inherent tension running throughout that gives them a powerful undercurrent. Richie's dirty bass spits out a lazy riff underneath "Armchair Thriller" while Benji almost whispers the vocal threateningly. "Million Dollar Love" opens with a deceptively natty little guitar riff, watch out for the short bursts of monster thrash riffing. Fans of Dub War's classic thragga sound will not be disappointed as from the album's opener "Control" through "Greedee" (probably the album's strongest song), the No 41 single "Enemy Maker" and on to the closing tracks "Mission" and "Universal Jam" there's plenty here to keep the mosher sweaty. It's refreshing to see that Dub War can further extend their boundaries without losing direction and having seen the album launch gig at the legendary TJ's I can confirm that they are still one of Britain's most exciting live bands. (See if you can find the hidden title track.)

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

Interested in reviewing music? Find out more here.